The Ground Podcast

Subscribe to the Substack at https://groundpodcast.substack.com for more!The importance of realizing the kingdom of God "at hand", "within you" is more important now than ever. If we allow ourselves to entertain an Eastern perspective, not only will we align more with the findings of quantum physics—we will also gain deeper insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The Ground Podcast is back! If you want the full experience for Season 2, head on over to the Substack at https://groundpodcast.substack.comAnd also... I'm going by JACOB now. Really, I always have ("Jake" to my friends). Laugh it up. I tried it out and I didn't love it. :)Seriously, you don't know how much your continued support, listening to and downloading this podcast even during a long hiatus, means to me. Love to all of you and much more to come!

It's been too long, beloved! Today's guest is Esther Joy Goetz from the Deconstructing Mamas Podcast. Esther and her co-host Liz Enns Petters are doing the work of helping deconstructing, reconstructing, and reconfiguring moms to feel supported through this liberating—and sometimes very difficult—transition journey. It was a "joy" to have Esther on the show! She brings big mama bear energy to the party and has a lot of insight for those of us expanding our spirituality beyond the bounds of what she has accurately deemed "high control religion." I know you're going to love hearing from her!PS: You may have also noticed a larger-than-normal lapse in uploads, and new cover artwork for the podcast. This is because I, William Collier, am going through a bit of an "unbranding" process, focusing instead on my personal efforts and something of an influencer in the branding and marketing space AS WELL AS in the reconstructing space. Thank you for being a listener! Much more to come, I promise! (The Cathedral Project is still "a thing" with great potential, but I have to direct my efforts away from it for the time being.)——————Show Notes:Follow me on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@williamjacobcollierEsther's Websitehttps://estherjoygoetz.comDeconstructing Mamashttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deconstructing-mamas/id1612182466

My wannabe buddhist friend and I discovered and read through a pretty wild article together, "I Am Become Death: Vishnu's Lucid Dream and the Ending of Time." You know, just the kind of stuff you probably do with your pub friends too, right? The article (available here) delved into many of the themes that had been weighing on my mind (and still do), so I reached out to the author, Dr Judson Davis PhD, and he agreed to come on the podcast! I kind of still can't believe it.At this moment of Kairos, the potential for expanded and enlightened human consciousness at the collective level is not only possible, but as this article asserts, necessary for our survival and for a dimension beyond our own to permeate our everyday reality in increasing measure. Let's explore what such a dimension and such a realization—heaven on earth—might look like, together.—————Details from Judson Davis PhD:Organization: The Institute of East-West Interdisciplinary StudiesEmail: [email protected] links:https://www.east-westinstitute.com/biohttps://www.east-westinstitute.com/courseshttps://www.east-westinstitute.com/counselingOther authors and personalities mentioned: Christopher BacheStanislav Grof (pioneer of Holotropic Breathwork)Jiddu KrishnamurtiSri AurobindoDavid Bohm (author of "Wholeness and The Implicate Order")

Ready to hear about a National-Lampoon-level road trip? Hear the riveting story of 6 people, 2 dogs, a 26 foot Uhaul and a **GMC ACADIAAAAA* trekking 3000 miles across the country to live in beautiful Bend, Oregon!

Jena Ocean is a poet, podcaster, court jester, high priestess, director of merriment and fun, haunted pub crawl guide, water enthusiast, eclectic witch and exvangelical. She holds a bachelors degree in theology & is the author of two self published poetry books. She lives in New England with her husband and neighborhood squirrels. Find her on instagram @joyplay__ and at https://joyplay.org

Our new friend Tim is a writer, philosopher, contemplative, and teacher from Santa Barbara, California. If you're in the deconstructed Christian space and you're unsure how to proceed, Tim has some reassuring words for you and is helping to usher in the new wave of spirituality we definitely need, now more than ever. You can find Tim Burnette and The Way Collective at waycollective.org and tdburnette.com

"Awakening" is a term loaded with stigma. Maybe you hear it and think of "the great awakening", and the advent of great religious vigor. Or perhaps you've heard it used by ambiguous new age types in ways that seem to not mean much at all. Regardless, the concept of awakening means coming out of a state of unconsciousness and entering reality. The metaphors abound. Follow us on IG @groundpodcast, and don't forget to give us your feedback via the top announcement bar at https://cathedralproject.com

Just days after Chris Ayoub recorded his interview with us about the upcoming docuseries, The Religion Business, TRB's TikTok account was permanently banned. The reason? "Drugs, Alcohol, Contraband, and Hate Speech - Creating an unsafe environment on the platform." Please follow, repost, and tell your friends all The Religion Business and spread this important message. Getting banned like this is only confirmation of how important their work really is. https://www.thereligionbusiness.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/religionbusiness | https://twitter.com/religionbiz

Coming Summer/Fall 2024, The Religion Business docuseries ( https://thereligionbusiness.com ) is exactly the kind of expository work that restores our faith in the world. If you are looking for a sobering look at what real change looks like, and a plan with simple ways you can get involved in creating meaningful change in our institutions, look no further! Chris is an absolute bulldog entrepreneur and an Air Force veteran with a passion for creating accountability structures in the world's power structures and establishments. Working with Nathan Apffel, and Emmy award winning producer, over a decade of collective research, interviews, etc., this film is for everybody. https://www.instagram.com/religionbusiness/ @religionbusiness on IG

**At the end of this episode, please forgive my growling stomach and the stomping of my children on the floor above me during the guided meditation! This Podcast happens in real life, friends.Jim Simpson (https://thewayjourney.com) is a longtime friend and a country gentleman with the fundamental christian background that's so familiar to so many of us. Enjoy his southern drawl as he tells the story of a strict father, a "magic prayer" conversion experience, all the way to his time in the Marines, meeting his wife, and planting churches. As a wonderfully ordinary and relatable human being, we trust you'll find his story compelling as well as his courage in telling this (somewhat) secret story out in the open. We will close with a meditation of gratitude toward those who've helped us along our varied paths.

Grief can really sneak up on you. Just when you think you're through with it, some little thing surfaces in life that throws you right back into pain from the injury you've sustained. Today we're exploring grief with Natalie Collier, William's wife, who just lost her mom a little over a year ago at the time this podcast was recorded. Learn from her bravery in dealing with this process, and gain some fresh perspective on how you might be able to help those around you who are grieving.Grief has been defined by spiritualists as the pain felt when our models fall apart. Whether it's a loved one or a dream or a major identity shift, we become attached to our models in life and hold onto them harder than we sometimes think. The pain we feel over a loss so foundational to our personality can be devastating. If you are grieving now, our hearts are with you. We will observe a moment of silence after the show to reflect upon the reality of grief and to direct positive intention toward those struggling with this reality.

William's close friend, Jackson Duncan, joins us on Ground today to talk about our obsession meaning in a meaning deprived world. As universal spiritualists at Cathedral Project, we are thrilled to hear Jackson’s perspective as a Buddhist and we know you’ll get a lot out of it.Just some light discussion about existential crises, collective egocentrism, and how chickens poop on their eggs.**Announcement!: William has authored an eBook, "A Christian's Guide to Deconstruction". Head over to the website at https://www.cathedralproject.com/store/p/a-christians-guide-to-deconstruction-by-william-j-collier to download your copy for just $4.99 (limited time).You can also download your free Ground: Getting Started eBook at https://www.cathedralproject.com/free-ground-ebook

Get your Ground gathering started with our free eBook, "Ground: Getting Started"! You can download it at https://www.cathedralproject.com/free-ground-ebookThis mini-episode is quick check-in, a reminder to stay awake while the media ring leaders make Epstein's list balance on a ball and jump through hoops of fire, and to stay informed and awake through it all.We will see you soon with more interviews and a Patreon, coming soon!

This episode is different. (Scroll for time stamps!) Here William is going to lay out what Cathedral Project actually is, how it came to be, how it is to be practiced, and how we address the most common arguments Western Christianity tends to mount against a movement like ours. At the end, instead of a guided meditation, we'll be reflecting on pain inflicted on so many people by adherence to flawed doctrines, issuing an apology, and holding a moment of silence for those injured by the church this way.Intro // Church Attendance Declining in America3:00 // Welcome: Setting the stage (and apologies for Christianese language)9:21 // Why Cathedral Project was started11:28 // NOT A CULT! (plus thoughts on establishment)16:19 // How does it work? (Through Ground!... among other things...)17:37 // The importance of Universal Spirituality25:23 // Doctrinal Argument 1: "Are you just trying to justify an immoral lifestyle with your deconstruction?"30:58 // Doctrinal Argument 2: "Do not forsake the gathering..."37:22 // Doctrinal Argument 3: "Study to find yourself approved..."50:31 // Pain Caused by The Church, an Apology, and a reverent moment of silence

Today's guest, Natalie Collier, is just so hot. She's so smart and fun and beautiful. And she's also my wife.A homeschooling mom to 4 kids, a homesteader and gardener extraordinaire, and a holistic health life coach, Natalie is a force to be reckoned with and she is here to aid women in the relentless pursuit of self-love. Jump in with her today at https://blessherbones.comHear Natalie's tale of growing up in a broken home with a Christianity modeled to her that just could not captivate her interests or her heart, how she ran to all the wrong places to find fulfillment, and how she inevitably found it in Christ (the person, the consciousness–not the religion). Hear about our young, naive, blustery romance and about the place in which we find ourselves today.We will close with a meditation, a very practical visualization for experiencing the present moment more fully.

Zach Wheeler is a musician with lots of ministry experience in the church and on the mission field—a smart, insightful, hilarious person. Zach served under Mike Bickle and Dalton Lifsey through FAI, a ministry partnered with IHOPKC... both of which are at the center of yet another sexual scandal involving Christian leadership. Hear Zach's account of working under these men who exhibited behaviors leading to the all-too-familiar extramarital affairs and abuses of power which seem to be disqualifying semi-famous pastors from ministry on a weekly basis.Zach shares his story of personal development, of leaving missions work, and eventually tapering off church attendance altogether. We hope you'll find his story helpful and you'll no doubt be touched at how hard he has fought to hold bitterness at bay.As always, we'll close with an effort to look toward forgiveness, and this time with a guided Tonglen meditation.https://cathedralproject.com

The very first episode of Ground! (brought to you by Cathedral Project)Hi. I'm William Collier, founder of Cathedral Project, and I'm here to share the story of my deconstruction. Hear the tale of fundamental Christian upbringing coupled with purity culture and leadership conditioning, and how these factors led to many difficulties - including an identity crisis - but paved the way for a spiritual awakening. We'll end with a lovingkindness meditation of forgiveness.Atonement: I'll shine some light on childhood conditioning not to trust my own mind and heartPurity Culture: hear my experience with learning not to trust my own body and how the christian glorification of marriage as an institution acts as a tool to subjugate people to this dayChurch: it's funny how we often hear it taught that the church in the second chapter of Acts is our ultimate model (they shared everything in common to the point there was no need among them), yet the modern church tends to abandon this model as "idealistic" in favor of free market capitalismMysticism and Universalism: if no one is truly doomed to a literal hell for all eternity, a lot of doctrines used to push church discipline fall apart fast. Jesus showed us with John on the Jordan River that God is as available to us as water; as the life of Jesus shows us, the message of no longer needing an intermediary is earth shattering (and not everyone wants you to preach that way). Recognizing Jesus - a human being - as our high priest at home here inside us, one with our own souls...it changes everything.Forgiveness: "What you resist not only persists, but will grow in size." - Carl Jung // Yes, we need to validate the negative effect of our experiences, but that does not mean we need to spend time re-traumatizing ourselves with their memory. Forgiveness frees us from our suffering and opens new channels of positive energy inside us. It's no wonder Christ's model of forgiveness and his non-violent method go hand in hand with key messages from the world's great religions. This is the way.More to come!